Dominion Energy Virginia and Denmark-based energy company Ørsted took significant steps forward today in the development of Virginia's first offshore wind facility.

VA - Dominion Energy nears construction on offshore wind turbines

- Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project remains on track for installation and operations - Monopiles and turbine loadout in Germany and Denmark completed and en route to project - Project will enter service later this year and produce enough power for 3,000 homes

Dominion Energy and Ørsted announced today the turbine components and monopiles for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot project have started their journey to North America.

The project team and vessel crews have been successful in navigating the impact of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic to keep the team safe and the project on schedule.

The foundations, consisting of the turbines’ monopiles, transition pieces and anode cages fabricated by EEW SPC, have been loaded onto the Bigroll Beaufort cargo ship in Rostock, Germany. The components for the two, 6-megawatt Siemens Gamesa turbines were loaded in Esbjerg, Denmark, before the vessel embarked in mid-April on the approximately two-week transatlantic journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

“This is a monumental step toward the installation of the first offshore wind turbines in federal waters, which will deliver clean, renewable energy to our customers,” said Mark D. Mitchell, Dominion Energy vice president of generation construction. “The construction of these two turbines will help us reach our goal for net zero emissions and position Virginia as a leader in offshore wind.”

“This announcement marks yet another milestone in the U.S. offshore wind industry and reinforces Ørsted’s leadership in facilitating a robust U.S. market,” said Thomas Brostrøm, CEO of Ørsted North America Offshore. “Ørsted’s experience and the hard work of its colleagues have made it possible to keep the project on time and on budget in spite of the disruption of global commerce.”

“Even though this project consists of two monopiles and transition pieces, it has profound importance for the development of the U.S. offshore wind market, as this is the first project that successfully has passed all phases of BOEM approval,” said Christoph Schorge, CEO of the EEW Group. “This milestone will pave the way for the large-scale commercial projects to follow. Both Dominion Energy and Ørsted are key developers in the U.S and the collaboration on this project demonstrates the determination toward the rapid development of U.S. offshore wind.”